


Weir: Automata

by gingerlegend



Series: "Whitechapel Clan" [1]
Category: My Babysitter's A Vampire
Genre: Hanukkah, M/M, jewish benny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:08:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21862708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingerlegend/pseuds/gingerlegend
Summary: Benny decides to create a golem to do some heavy labor. When Ethan refuses to let him “deactivate” the golem, the golem becomes sentient and views them as its parents. Benny and Ethan are two of the least qualified people in Whitechapel to be parents, but the golem is adamant about its allegiances.
Relationships: Ethan Morgan/Benny Weir
Series: "Whitechapel Clan" [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1739326
Comments: 10
Kudos: 81





	1. How alive is “alive?”

“It’s alive! It’s ALIIIIIIVE!!!” Benny said, letting out his most overdramatic cackle.  
“Benny, this is a horrible idea,” Ethan said. “We should just do the work ourselves.”  
Benny shook his head. “You literally made the clay statue specifically for this. You can’t back out now.”  
Ethan wasn’t happy about it, but Benny was right. He did make this statue specifically for Benny’s plan. Benny had dug up an ancient spell from his grandma’s books. This wasn’t even from a spellbook. It was from some sort of research someone did like a million years ago. A recipe for making a golem.  
Benny had just engraved the three hebrew letters on the statue’s back, spelling out the hebrew word for Truth, אמת (emet). And then, after a quick incantation (technically a prayer, but Benny thought the word incantation sounded cooler), the clay statue began to move.  
“Golem,” he said, gesturing around the box-filled garage. “Take care of these heavy boxes that grandma needs moved into the house. The living room, so she can get out the menorah and stuff for hanukkah.”  
The golem became to walk with surprisingly fluid motions. It picked up one of the boxes, which Ethan and Benny had tried to lift earlier in vain, and carried it into the house.  
“Sweet,” Benny said. “Let’s go play some video games.”  
Ethan was worried, but he didn’t argue.

A few hours later, Benny’s bedroom door opened up. The golem stood in the doorway, awaiting orders.  
“Wow, it finished pretty fast, didn’t it?” Benny commented. “Welp, time to put it down.”  
He reached for the chisel he’d used to engrave the word on the golem’s back, but Ethan grabbed it first.  
“Gimme that. I gotta get rid of the first letter on its back.”  
“You brought it to life,” Ethan said, holding the tool tightly. “Who’s to say it’s not sentient? Or even sapient?”  
“The spell thingy didn’t say anything about sentience. It’s basically a robot, except magical.”  
“There’s still the possibility.”  
“Oh, come on, Ethan. We don’t need it anymore!”  
“If it’s alive, you’d be _killing_ it.”  
“Jeez, fine, but what’ll we do with it?”  
Ethan didn’t have an answer.  
“Hey, golem, are you alive? Or just a statue that moves?”  
The golem seemed not to know how to react. This wasn’t exactly an order.  
A gravely voice spoke. “I… am alive…? But what does that mean? To be… alive?”  
“Told you so,” Ethan whispered.  
“Uh, okay… Um. Golem, uh. Do you… know things?” Benny asked, a bit uneasy now that he realized he really would have killed it if Ethan hadn’t stopped him.  
The golem spoke slowly, its face unmoving, save for its eyes, which now seemed to glow faintly.  
“I… know what I know. I know I am… a golem. But I do not know… Tell me. Are you… my creators?”  
Ethan nodded. “I sculpted your body. Benny brought you to life.”  
“Then… You are my Mom,” the golem said to Ethan, then gestured to Benny as it continued. “And you are my Dad.”  
Ethan spluttered, trying to form an argument, but he was at a loss for words.  
“I guess so,” Benny said. “But that’s kinda---”  
“I’m its MOM? Why am I the mom?! Why are we its parents?!” Ethan interrupted.  
“Why are you so… worked up? You’ll be a very good mom, I think.”  
“Should… should we name it?” Benny said to Ethan with a shrug.  
“Name… me. Please, I definitely… want to have a name.”  
“Emet,” Benny blurted out.  
It was the hebrew word written on the golem’s back.  
“Emmett,” Ethan offered, shifting the emphasis onto the first syllable so it sounded like a real name.”  
“Emmett,” the golem pronounced the name carefully. “I like… how that sounds. Thank you… Mom and Dad.”  
Benny snickered. “Even a golem can tell I’m the one who wears the pants in our relationship. And it was only born today,” he said to Ethan.  
Ethan ignored him. “Emmett, do you want us to keep talking about you as… as an ‘it?’ We could talk about you like you’re a boy, if you want.”  
“I don’t know… if I understand…”  
“‘It’ is a word mostly used for things that aren’t alive,” Benny explained. “We could call you ‘he’ when we talk about you if you want.”  
“If you would like to call me ‘he,’ I do not mind. I do not care one way… or the other.”  
Benny shrugged. “Alright, _son_.”

This would be... interesting to say the least.


	2. Oh, Emmett, Emmett, Emmett, I made him out of clay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rory and Sarah both meet Emmett. Benny gives out Hanukkah gifts. Three words slip out of Ethan's mouth for the better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I headcanon Ethan to be trans, but not dysphoric. The main reason he's annoyed about being called "mom" is because he can't imagine himself taking on a motherly role, even tho he's starting to act a bit motherly.

Over the next few days, Ethan and Benny spent a lot of time with Emmett. It wasn't like they had much of a choice. When Benny's grandma found out that he not only made a golem, but allowed it to become sentient, she made sure he understood how dangerous a golem was if it believed itself to be neglected or abandoned. Entire cities had been historically taken down by the golems that were originally made to protect those cities.  
Benny didn't feel the need to tell Ethan. He didn't want to worry him. Besides, Ethan seemed pretty protective of Emmett. Despite his protests about being called "Mom," he was stepping up to the role. Benny couldn't help but be at least a little bit impressed.

"Whoa, who's this guy?" Rory asked Benny and Ethan when he met Emmett.  
Benny and Ethan exchanged a glance. Ethan shrugged.  
"Who's this energetic person, Mom?" Emmett asked Ethan, clearly wary of the nerdy little vampire.  
"Oh, don't worry, honey, that's our friend Rory. He's a good person."  
Emmett looked at Rory nervously. Rory's energy was making it nervous.  
"Wait, Ethan's your mom???" Rory exclaimed, wide-eyed and mouth agape.  
"You just called Emmett 'honey,'" Benny pointed out to Ethan, grinning wildly.  
"It's a long story, Ror," Ethan said, ignoring Benny.  
"Okay. Can I be the cool Uncle?" Rory asked, no longer appearing concerned about Ethan being a Mom.  
"Uncle Rory… I can trust Uncle Rory?" Emmett asked Ethan and Benny.  
Benny nodded. "He's cool… Well, he's good."  
"Hey, I'm cool!" Rory protested.  
"Uncle Rory. I will try to remember… to trust you."  
Rory grinned. He already forgot that Benny implied he was uncool.

Later that day, Rory ran into Sarah.  
"Ooh, did you hear the news?" he didn't wait for her to answer. "Ethan and Benny have a son now!"  
Sarah stared at Rory, speechless for a moment. "That… that's not—"  
"I know it doesn't work like that, but I guess they found a way? He's like… really tall. And his mouth doesn't move, and his eyes glow a little, and his hair doesn't move in the wind, and—"  
"Rory. Slow down. Is their son _human_?"  
Rory hesitated before answering. "I didn't ask, but now that you mention it, he looks kinda like a statue. Except alive."  
Sarah groaned. "Great…"  
"I know right! I'm so happy for them!"  
Sarah didn't reply. She was worried about how she was going to deal with whatever their "son" was when she babysat them that night.

The first thing Sarah saw when she arrived at the Morgan household was a clay statue, a couple inches taller than her, standing in the foyer. It wasn't facing her, but she could tell it was alive, to some extent.  
Ethan came into the room and froze when he saw Sarah. Benny crashed into him.  
"Dude, why'd you stop?!"  
Instead of answering Benny's question, he turned to the statue and spoke.  
"Emmett, meet Sarah."  
The statue turned, its movements surprisingly fluid. "This is… Sarah."  
Its mouth didn't move when it spoke. Its eyes glowed slightly, and its hair was definitely sculpted out of the same material as the rest of it, although it was painted brown, contrasted with its grade body.  
"Ethan. Benny. Explain this."  
Benny rolled his eyes. "Rory said he told you about Emmett."  
"I assumed it was sort of… made-up story?"  
"Nope, our golem son is real," Benny said with a proud smile. "Ethan and I couldn't move grandma's boxes she needed help with, so Ethan made a clay statue, and I brought it to life."  
"Mom made my body," Emmett said, "and Dad carved truth on me. I'm alive, sort of."  
Sarah opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn't find the right words. She gathered her thoughts before asking what she needed to ask. "Ethan, do your parents know about… about you being a mom?"  
Ethan shook his head. "Don't tell them. I already had to bribe Jane into secrecy."  
"And why… why is it here? I'm sure it'd be safer at Benny's house."  
"Emmett's a little bit afraid of grandma," Benny explained.  
"She tried to kill him," Ethan snapped. "That's not okay."  
Sarah turned to the golem and held out her hand. "Nice to meet you, Emmett, I guess."  
Emmett's glowing eyes seemed to get brighter. "Thank you, Sarah."  
"I think that's how he smiles," Ethan whispered to Benny.  
"I'm surprised you aren't recording him," Benny replied. "Family videos marking the milestones… you know, things moms supposedly do?"  
Ethan elbowed him.  
"Jeez, love you too."  
No one else noticed, but Ethan was blushing after that last comment.  
Emmett turned to look at Ethan and Benny. "Sarah… is family?"  
Benny laughed. "Nah, she just babysits Ethan and Jane."  
"Jane is… Aunt Jane, right?"  
Ethan glared at Benny, who shrugged. Then an alarm on his phone went off.  
"Hanukkah starts in a few minutes, everyone," Benny said. "I did, in fact, bring gifts."

In truth, Benny had brought most of the gifts a few days earlier. They were stashed in Ethan's closet, but Benny brought a gift for Emmett today.  
Jane unwrapped hers first.  
"Oh sweet! A hidden camera!" she exclaimed.  
Ethan gave Benny a dirty look. Benny shrugged.  
Next, Sarah opened hers. It was a drawing Ethan drew of her a few weeks ago.  
"You made this, Benny?" Sarah asked.  
Benny shook his head. "Ethan's better at art than me. This one's technically from him."  
She admired the sketch for a moment before speaking again. "Thanks, Ethan. It's so frustrating not being able to see how I look."  
"Sounds like it," Ethan said awkwardly. He may have been over his crush on Sarah, but there were still times when his heart didn't seem to get the memo.  
Benny handed Emmett his gift. Emmett stared at the wrapped gift. "What do I do with this?"  
"Take off the wrapping paper," Jane said. "If you want help, I love unwrapping gifts."  
Emmett handed it to her, and within seconds, she handed the gift back. It was a nice outfit: jeans, shoes, a shift, a jacket, and a bow tie. Emmett only had a t-shirt and sweatpants until now.  
"Clothing. Thank you, Dad."  
"Ethan helped pick them out." Benny grinned.  
"Thank you, Mom. I love it. I will put these on after all the gifts are… gifted."  
Benny gives the last gift to Ethan, his face flushed. "I saw you looking at these when we went to the mall last month."  
Ethan slowly tore at the wrappings. Inside, there was a set of tarot cards.  
"Tarot cards," Ethan said, pronouncing the first word as if it sounded like _parrot_.  
"Tarot," Benny corrected him. "Rhymes with _arrow_."  
"I've been meaning to get into these," Ethan said. "I love you, Benny."  
Benny turned bright red, and then, after realizing what he said, so did Ethan.  
"I meant thank you! Not, uh… Y-you know."  
"Ethan, was that my present?" Benny asked, grinning mischievously, though still blushing. "That confession? _Cuz all I want for_ , well… for Hanukkah _is youuuuu~_ "  
He sang it to the melody of the Mariah Carey song, but the last note was cut off by Ethan pulling Benny into a kiss.  
"Mom and Dad are together!" Emmett said happily.  
"It was only a matter of time before they realized," Jane said. "By the way, Sarah, tell Erica she owes me 5 bucks. We had a bet going."  
"I didn't see that coming," Sarah said, "but you know, I probably should have."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, the ship sails at last. I can never decide when I think Benny and Ethan would get together. Sometimes I think they'd get together by the end of Junior Year, sometimes I think it'd take them a loooong time to get together. Honestly, i like finding different methods for them getting together in each fic.


	3. Dad Jokes by Candlelight

Evelyn Weir had invited the Morgans' over for a hanukkah dinner, but Ethan's parents were out of town visiting relatives for a pre-Christmas party. Ethan and Jane both managed to use the hanukkah dinner as an excuse not to go. Evelyn already lit the candles and said prayers before the Morgans arrived.  
"No Rory?" Ethan asked Benny.  
"He's invited for tomorrow night. I'll text you if there's any disasters."  
"Fair enough," Ethan said, pulling Benny in for a kiss.  
"This is _definitely_ getting posted online," Jane said, appearing behind Ethan. She took a few pictures with her phone.  
"Jane, can you not—?"  
"No. No, I can't not."  
She took another picture.  
"Jane, Ethan, I'm glad you could make it," Evelyn Weir said, entering the room. "It's a shame your parents were too busy, but I hope we can still enjoy the night without any… interruptions."  
She said the word as if there already was an interruption. She looked pointedly at Emmett, who was standing silently in the doorway. He didn't seem to notice.  
"Grandma," Benny said through gritted teeth.  
Evelyn didn't reply. Instead, she returned to the dining room. The menorah was already lit, and the meal was ready. Everyone took their seats; Emmett sat beside Ethan. He couldn't eat, but he seemed to like sitting there anyway.

"These latkes are amazing, grandma!" Benny exclaimed with his mouth full.  
"Yeah, seriously delicious," Ethan agreed. His mouth wasn't quite as full, but he hadn't swallowed it all yet.  
Jane rolled her eyes and kept eating. Ethan and Benny could be so gross sometimes.

"I ate too much," Ethan said. "I'm full."  
Benny turned to him and grinned. "Hi, Full. I'm Dad."  
Ethan cringed a bit at the joke. Or maybe he saw wincing from the pain of overeating. Or both. Probably both.  
"I need to use the bathroom," he said, running.

Twenty minutes later, everyone had finished eating, and Ethan had been out of the bathroom for a while. Evelyn grabbed some dreidals from one of the boxes Emmett had brought inside.  
"Ready to play dreidal?" she asked.  
Naturally, everyone was interested. Even Emmett, although he didn't even know how to spin the dreidal. He decided to watch instead.  
Jane managed to win, and Ethan got the feeling that it wasn't just luck. He couldn't prove it, but he was suspicious anyway.

Once Ethan and Jane left, with Emmett following closely behind, Evelyn stopped Benny as he started to make his way to his bedroom.  
"I don't think Emmett will be an issue," she said.  
"Gee, Grandma, I never thought of that," Benny replied sarcastically.  
"I hadn't expected Emmett to have so much personality already. Most golems don't become sapient easily, but I think you and Ethan made Emmett entirely from love. Ethan poured his heart and soul into sculpting him, after all."  
"And…?" Benny didn't miss the opportunity to humble his grandma a little.  
"And I'm sorry," she said, humoring him.  
Benny paused before replying. "Hi sorry," he whispered with that grin he always got when telling bad jokes. "I'm Dad."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prepare for angst in the next one... I'm so sorry, but also i'm really not.


	4. Panic! At the Graveyard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I know I promised angst, and this isn't that angsty... but this sets the angst up. Next chapter, which im gonna post right after i post this one, has a bit more angst. And then chapter 6 will have some more, although that one's not done yet.

Emmett didn’t fully understand what he was feeling. He wasn’t used to comprehending his own emotions. But he something was making him feel afraid, and he couldn’t figure out what it was.

Benny and Ethan were on a date or something, and Emmett had convinced them to leave him with Rory, Sarah, and Sarah’s friend Erica.  
“Aunt Sarah can keep me safe while Uncle Rory and I have fun…” Emmett had told them. “But I don’t… really know the scary girl very much.”  
“Come on, babe, Erica can’t even bite him,” Benny reminded Ethan. “He’s made of clay.”  
“A-alright. But Emmett, if anything bad happens, promise me you’ll call?”  
The lights in Emmett’s eyes dimmed, and Ethan got the feeling that it was Emmett's version of rolling his eyes. “I’ll be fine, Mom.”  
Ethan didn’t look happy about it, but he didn't argued any further.

Truthfully, Emmett was getting a bit aggravated with how overprotective Ethan was. He needed a bit of a break from his parents, and this was the only way he could think of. He walked to the graveyard, where Erica and Sarah were supposedly hanging out.  
“Look, Erica!” Rory exclaimed as Emmett approached. “It’s Benny and Ethan’s son!”  
Erica rolled her eyes. “Looks just like them,” she deadpanned.  
“I don’t see it,” Rory said, looking Emmett up and down.  
Emmett stood in front of Rory and Erica. He didn't see Sarah.  
"Hello, Uncle Rory…"  
"Hi, Emmett. Hey, Emmett, this is Erica. Erica, this is—"  
"Emmett. Yes, I got that. Hello."  
"Nice to, uh… meet you. Erica, was it?"  
"It still is."  
"Okay, Miss Erica. I'll remember it."  
Erica glared at him. "Just call me Erica."  
"What… What do you mean, Miss Erica?" Emmett asked.  
"Psst!" Rory whispered loudly. "I think she wants you to stop call her 'Miss.'"  
Emmett paused. "Oh. So… Erica?"  
Rory gave him a thumbs up. Erica kept glowering. Emmett backed up a bit. Erica was really scary.  
"What the hell are you?" Erica demanded.  
Emmett pointed to himself. "Me?"  
"I already know what Rory is. Now what. Are. You?"  
"I think I am… a golem? That's what Dad told me."  
"Benny's his dad," Rory explained helpfully.  
So you're like a robot, except magic?"  
The lights in Emmett's eyes went out, as if he was closing them, deep in thought. "What is… a ro…bot?"  
"Ooh! Ooh! I can explain!" Rory said excitedly. "So like, you know how computers are machines?"  
Emmett nodded. His eyes started glowing again as he listened intently.  
"So its like a computer, but also it thinks on its own! And it moves."  
"Ohhh," Emmett said. "So it's like me, but scientific instead of magic?"  
"Yeah, exactly!" Rory was proud of himself. He was such a good teacher.  
"Oh, Emmett's already here," Sarah said as she walked out from the woods.  
"Hello, Sarah," Emmett said. "I've been waiting for you to get here. I want to ask you a question."  
"Shoot."  
"What is this place for? What is a grave?"  
"Why didn't you ask me?!" Erica snapped.  
"Or me?" Rory added, albeit with a lot less anger in his voice. "I know things too."  
"But Mom and Dad both respect Sarah. She's in a position of authority, Uncle Rory," Emmett said. "And I only just met you, Erica."  
Sarah looked at Erica with a slight shrug.  
"A grave is where a dead human is… well, I guess the right word would be 'stored.'"  
"Oh. And the graves… they protect the humans?"  
"No, it's more like they mark the spots the dead people are buried. And they're labeled with the names of the people buried under them."  
"That's so sad. People clinging to the past like that… I doubt it helps them move on."  
"Well, what will you do when Ethan or Benny die?" Erica asked.  
Emmett's eyes blazed with a brilliant white light. "They… They won't leave me. They…"  
"Emmett, death isn't exactly a choice," Sarah said.  
The lights in Emmett's eyes kept getting brighter and brighter. The three vampires had to cover their eyes.  
"That's not fair!" Emmett shouted. His voice echoed from all directions. "I can't even die unless someone erases one of the letters on my back!"  
"Emmett! They won't die anytime soon!" Rory yelled.  
"But they will die someday!"  
"You said it's sad to hold onto the past," Rory said. "But I think stressing about the future is worse."  
Emmett shook. His body trembled, but not in the way a human body might. It was more like the beginning of an avalanche, something Rory had only seen in cartoons and video games.  
And then Emmett stopped moving. His eyes still glowed, but much more faintly than usual.  
"Emmett?" Rory said.  
"I… I'm here…" Emmett's voice sounded distant. More so than it normally did.  
"Are you… okay?" Sarah asked.  
"I… don't know. Is anyone okay ever?"  
"Great, now he's asking edgy philosophical questions," Erica said with a huff. "I think that means he's not okay."  
"It's okay if you aren't okay," Rory said. "Not being okay happens, until it doesn't. And then when aren't not okay, you can be okay again!"  
Sarah looked at Rory with that confused stare she often had when he was around. "I don't think that was helpful, Rory."  
"No," Emmett said. "It's helpful. I think I understand."  
Rory beamed. "See? It made perfect sense!"  
"I have to… accept that existing isn't always happy," Emmett said, mostly to himself. "Once I accept that sometimes I won't feel okay, I can learn what makes me feel better."  
Rory nodded along, ecstatic that Emmett understood his advice so completely.  
"And that… that's part of being alive."  
Emmett didn't feel okay, but he knew that there was nothing wrong with that. It definitely felt better knowing that, and maybe that was all that mattered for the time being.

When he returned home to see Ethan and Benny, he didn't tell them about his worries. He didn't know if he ever would, and maybe it wasn't something he himself understood yet.  
All he knew was that he would feel better, little by little. And eventually, maybe he'd be okay again.


	5. When the Closure isn’t Real...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit of a jab at mbav's lack of a third season. Also, the angst is getting a bit more... angsty i guess

Something was on Emmett's mind, but Ethan didn't pry. Emmett would open up whenever he was ready, right?  
He noticed the scratch marks on Emmett's upper back, reaching barely an inch away from the hebrew word on his back.  
Ethan worried, but didn't ask. Emmett seemed to notice his worry, but didn't explain.

"Honey, can I tell you something?" Ethan asked. "About, well… about my life before Benny and I made you?"  
Emmett's eyes glowed brightly, almost warmly. It was an answer in of itself; there was no need for words.  
"About two years ago, Benny and I were in the most dangerous situation we'd ever been in. I've tried to forget about it, but it still gives me nightmares."  
Emmett listened to Ethan's story. He didn't fully understand, but he didn't ask any questions. He didn't know what a Lucifractor was. I didn't understand how the principal of the town's high school got involved. There was a lot to take in, and Ethan got more and more tense as he spoke.  
"Mom, stop," Emmett said suddenly, interrupting Ethan. "You don't have to relive it."  
Ethan hesitated, deciding whether or not he wanted to be completely honest with Emmett.  
"No, I do. I relive it almost every night."  
Neither Emmett nor Ethan said anything for a while.  
"Point is, if you need help with anything, I'll be there for you. I've dealt with scary things before, and I'd do it again to save anyone I care about."  
Emmett's eyes dimmed slightly. "I love you, Mom."

Ethan hadn't been sure how Emmett felt about almost anything until that moment. He didn't know if a golem felt the same emotions as humans. He wasn't sure if Emmett really saw him as a parental figure, or just chose a word that had similarities to his connection with Ethan and Benny.  
But now.  
Now he understood. Emmett loved him as a parent. Truly loved him.  
And Ethan was both relieved and anxious. He felt happy and afraid. He felt conflicted.  
This was a confirmation of how much responsibility fell onto him and Benny. It wasn't something he felt ready to take on, but he didn't have a choice. Not really.  
He didn't say, "I love you too."  
He didn't smile. He didn't react.  
Emmett seemed to understand anyway. The facsimile of a mouth on Emmett's face didn't change from the hard line Ethan had scraped into the clay when it was still wet and malleable, but somehow, Emmett seemed to be smiling.

Mr. and Mrs. Morgan were going to be home soon, which meant Emmett had to be relocated to Benny's house before they arrived. Emmett knew that Ethan's parents didn't know about magic. He wouldn't be treated as a living being if he stayed, so he didn't argue.  
He didn't like arguing, which made it a bit scary to be living in Evelyn Weir's house. She had been pretty distrustful of him when he met her.  
He didn't tell Ethan about his earlier worries or about his new ones.  
But he was prepared to tell Benny. Benny wouldn't stress himself out over Emmett's worries. Not in the way Ethan would have.  
He'd tell Ethan someday, but not anytime soon. Not if he could help it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fact that Ethan still has nightmares about the Lucifractor incident is my way of referencing the fact that show never had any closure. I didn't bring it up in this, but in his nightmares, there are always different variations of what goes wrong, and what happens, and Ethan barely remembers how the problem got solved in the end because of it. As he tries to recount the story, his description becomes more contradictory and uncertain, which is the reason Emmett doesn't understand the explanation very well.  
> Benny has his own traumas regarding the Lucifractor, as do Sarah and Erica. Rory's probably the only one who hasn't blocked out all that much of the incident, but that's because he doesn't really have any truly scary fears at this point. Everyone else probably had to confront their fears again (Erica for the first time, Benny probably confronting a new fear). Maybe someday I'll write a fic that goes more into my headcanons, but for this fic keep it in the back of your mind. Benny, Sarah, and Erica won't be as obvious about how they were affected emotionally, but there will be some hinting.


	6. Out of Sight, Still In Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A difficult discussion, and a bit of explanation for Emmett. He can't exactly watch the movie or the show to get this info

"Dad, can I talk to you about something? You have to promise not to tell Mom."  
Emmett's question confused Benny for a few seconds. Then he remembered that "Mom" meant Ethan.  
"It depends on what you tell me, but I'll definitely consider keeping it a secret," Benny said.  
The words felt strange to say. He didn't say things like that very often.  
"I… I want to tell Mom on my own," Emmett clarified. "When I'm ready to."  
Benny sighed. "Okay then. I'll keep your secret… whatever it is."  
"I recently started thinking about… what dying is. And then I realized that, unlike me, you and Mom… you two will die one day, and it might not be by anyone's choice."  
Benny wasn't good at this kind of conversation. He didn't like confronting his mortality so directly, but his son was clearly worried about it. Benny could suck it up and deal. For Emmett's sake.  
"Yeah, that's… true."  
"And the thought scares me. More than just the fear of losing you two… I'm afraid of the eternity that would come after."  
Benny didn't reply for a long time, until last he merely said, "I understand."  
Emmett found comfort in the silence. Benny wasn't trying to tell him that everything would be okay. Instead, he shared in the fear, and it no longer overwhelmed Emmett.  
"Whenever you want to tell Ethan," Benny said suddenly, "just let me know. We can talk to him together."

Emmett didn't have anything else to talk about, but he wanted Benny to stay, to keep talking. So he asked a question he hadn't been wondering about until it was already spoken.  
"Can you tell me about how everything started? Mom told me a little about the Luci… whatever, but that wasn't the beginning, was it?"  
Benny recounted the day he and Ethan discovered that there vampires in the town. He described how he learned that he was a Spell Master, and that Ethan was a seer.  
"What does that mean?" Emmett interjected. "A seer… Are humans usually blind?"  
The question amused Benny, mostly because he'd never considered it like that before.  
"He's sees the future, and sometimes the past. When he touches certain things, he sees a vision about them."  
Instead of reacting to the answer, Emmett said, "So now you and Mom are friends with three vampires?"  
"And some other supernatural beings. Weredogs, witches, a couple fae, a ghost, and so on."  
"And now you have a golem for a son," Emmett added.  
"Yep," Benny said eloquently.  
"Yep," Emmett repeated.  
Later that day, they discussed how to deal with death and eternal life. It wasn't an easy conversation, but it was important.


	7. A Great Miracle Happened

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's some fluff before the final chapter.

The more Emmett learned, the more he was curious about.  
"What's it like to eat?" he asked Benny one day.  
Benny had no idea how to respond. How does one explain something like that? Emmett seemed to pick up on Benny's inability to describe it, so he asked a different question.  
"How does Mom make you feel? I know that the emotion is called love, but I also know that there are a few kinds of love, right? You and Mom love me, but in a different way."  
Benny fumbled for an answer. "W-well, he… he makes me happy… and, uh, I, um… I've never tried to explain it… haha…"  
Emmett laughed. Benny had never heard Emmett laugh before.

"How does it feel to love Dad?" Emmett asked Ethan, later on.  
Ethan had thought about this a lot, and he knew what to say. "So imagine you know someone who is the biggest idiot— actually, second biggest idiot— but then you realize 'Oh. I guess I like idiots.' And then one day, you realize how much that idiot means to you, and you decide 'that's MY idiot.'"  
Emmett laughed. Ethan had never heard Emmett laugh before.

"Dad, I made something for you and Mom. A hanukkah gift."  
"Really?"  
"Invite Mom over. I want him to see at the same time as you."  
Benny texted Ethan, who arrived after about 10 minutes. Then Emmett took a gift out from under the living room couch.

It was a card, made entirely by Emmett.  
On it, he had drawn three stick figures. The two on the sides were drawn with pen, with brown marker scribbles for hair. One had a big smile, almost reaching across the entire face, while the other one's smile was much less terrifying. The figure in the middle was drawn in gray marker, with two circles for eyes instead of dots, and no mouth.  
Below the drawing were the words "THANKS MOM AND DAD. YOU ARE GOOD HUMANS AND I LOVE YOU LOTS," written in careful, deliberate letters, uppercase and in print.

Ethan pointed to the stick figure with the gigantic mouth. "Is that one Benny?"  
"What?! That could just as easily be you!" Benny protested.  
"But Dad, that one's you," Emmett said. "You smile big and it makes me feel happy too."  
Benny put his hand over his chest. "Aww, that's actually really sweet."  
"We love you too, Emmett," Ethan said.  
Emmett's eyes flashed suddenly. "I forgot to write my name on the card! Promise you'll remember it's from me."  
Ethan and Benny promised. How could they forget?

That night, Benny thought about the phrase that's abbreviated on the dreidal, which translates to "a great miracle happened there." But Emmett was a miracle too, in a way.  
 _Great miracles can happen anywhere,_ he thought to himself as he fell asleep.


	8. Truth and Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter, and it's a lot shorter than I had been hoping to make it. The problem is that anything else I could add would be extraneous and out of place.  
> So the finale of Weir: Automata is here.

Emmett wanted to talk to Ethan about his fears, so Benny brought him to the Morgan household. Ethan's parents weren't home, and Jane was at a friend's house or something, so they had the house to themselves.  
"I… I want to ask you something, Mom. It… it's a scary thing."  
Ethan nodded, but he didn't look like he was ready for whatever Emmett had in mind.  
"I know humans die. And sometimes it's a total surprise. C-can you promise me you'll live as much as you can? I… just don't know if I can handle being alive forever."  
Ethan hugged Emmett, but it was uncomfortable for both of them. Golems aren't very huggable.  
"And if you ever know you're close to dying, I… I want to die too. I want the first letter of the word on my back to be erased."  
Ethan didn't say anything.  
"Dad told me he understands how I feel," Emmett continued. "He said he can't imagine living without _you_."  
Ethan glanced over at Benny, who was blushing and avoiding eye contact.  
"And I don't want to die unless its both of you who are dying. Because I don't want any of us to be alone."  
Ethan's eyes were filled with tears. Benny didn't have any witty comments to make. Emmett stood strong, certain in his decision.  
"Can you promise it?" Emmett asked. "Please?"  
He understood how Emmett felt. The feeling of being alone was among his worst fears. At one point, it _was_ his worst fear.  
"Okay," he said.

It wouldn’t be for a long long time that they ever had to think about this, but they always knew it was inevitable. Emmett never faltered on his decision, and when the time came, he was ready to see just what comes next. For him, and for his parents.  
It wasn't an ending, he hoped. He decided to think of it as a new journey.


End file.
